From Noam Chomsky on Divergence [The corporate mass-media] serve to divert the unwashed masses and reinforce the basic social values: passivity, submissiveness to authority, the overriding virtue of greed and personal gain, lack of concern for others, fear of real or imagined enemies, etc. The goal is to keep the bewildered herd bewildered. It’s unnecessary [...]

Chalking today up to the memoirs.  A cold, damp, miserable day in Iraq – Geography is a curious thing.  In Josh Ritter’s Live from Vicar Street DVD, he explains the first time he went to Ireland.  He was living in New York, and It was cheaper for him to fly to Ireland rather than back home to [...]

In the morning, my subconscious usually suggests a tune, this morning’s tune, Sugar.  I can suggest that the beauty and simplicity of the song falls in line with the philosophy of Thoreau from an earlier era. I’ve always enjoyed listening to the raw emotion of songs like this, often over and over.  It’s 100 words [...]

Happy Sunday Morning!.  this morning finds me practicing some NLP techniques by LISTENING to an economics lecture and READING lyrics / poetry from Dan Wilson, the old frontman for Semisonic now turned solo artist / producer.  I’m also reading what ‘Shaggy’s Mom’ says about black swans and dark pools. Taking notes from my informal class, [...]

12am to 5am with coffee is sometimes what it takes to push through challanges. life here seems to be that feeling from 6.30am to 10pm.  pop on the headphones and focus. plenty time to think, plan, develop a formal appreciation for what you’ve got, lament, sculpt your body and soul.  the process never ends, just [...]

I always think about the 4 F’s that need to be overcome to summit everest. Fear, Fitness, Financing, Fate Let it be known, the Fishbowl Gym, Baghdad Iraq is where the true push to superior fitness began.  Sean D and I are going to make it up there, hopefully before I’m 40 –